The Brewer high school football team has not won more than three games in a season since 2017, but the Witches believe change could be right around the corner.
Over the past couple seasons, Brewer’s participation numbers have rebounded from less than 30 to nearly 50, and former Husson University offensive coordinator Fred Lower has come out of retirement to coach this new generation of football players.
Lower was also a head football coach and Athletic Director at Hampden Academy, and an offensive coordinator at Bangor, compiling three decades of experience. Seven years after leaving Husson, he is now Brewer’s assistant principal and head football coach.
“My throat and body aren’t used to it, but it’s good to be back on the field,” Lower said. “It’s been a great summer of guys committing to optional training, working hard and asking questions at the right time. I’m really happy about the leadership and vibe in the locker room.”
Brewer’s captains this year are three seniors ready to lead the Witches’ sizable junior and sophomore classes: TE/DE Caleb Colby, QB/CB Ethan Leavitt and WR/CB Jake Perry.
The trio want to integrate the values their predecessors brought to the table, while also steering the team in a different direction.
“They did a great job as our leaders, and we’re gonna keep building off that by adding our own stuff,” Perry said of graduates Hunter Merrithew, Colby Largay and company. “We’re not the same team as last year. We’ve got a whole different identity and we’re gonna have success.”
Brewer went 1-8 last year, beating Nokomis 19-8 in their home finale and losing to Hermon 18-0 in the Class C North quarterfinals.
Not only will the 2024 Witches have a different feel, but they will also have a different look.
Lower is implementing a new offensive scheme, with Leavitt spending much more time under center rather than in the shotgun formation every snap. According to Lower, some of Brewer’s players have never practiced anything but shotgun in their youth system.
Leavitt is taking the changes in stride.
“We’re changing it up, but I like the way it’s looking. Everyone’s handling it well and everyone is excited to be here,” Leavitt said. “[Coach Lower] was a quarterback in high school, and he’s coached for Husson — he knows what he’s doing, obviously. I think it’s a game plan he has, and I’m excited for it. I really am.”
In addition to Leavitt, Perry and Colby, Brewer’s key contributors will include junior running back Jaxson Bragg-Ouellette, junior linebacker Morgan Judkins plus a solid core of receiver/defensive backs: junior Cooper Charette, junior Brody Muncey, junior Brandon Rivera and senior Steven Youngs.
The Witches began play with a controlled scrimmage versus Mattanawcook over the weekend, and have a couple highly-anticipated games to start their season.
First, they will play a preseason exhibition versus rival Bangor on Thursday, Aug. 29 at Cameron Stadium, and then play the second annual Ken Perrone Witches Classic versus a highly-skilled Salem (Massachusetts) team at Doyle Field on Saturday, Sept. 14.
Perrone coached Brewer to two Class A state championships from 1967 to 1973, including a 1970 campaign in which the team finished No. 1 in New England and ranked No. 5 nationally. Starting in 1974, Perrone coached Salem — one of three high schools in the nation with the Witch mascot — for 21 seasons, leading them to two state championship appearances and five Northeastern Conference titles.
Meanwhile, the Bangor-Brewer rivalry game is back online after being canceled in 2023.
“It’s a fun schedule,” Leavitt said. “I’m really excited. We’re going out flying 100 mph every single day, and we’re loving it.”
